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Why Should Anyone Care About Your Blog Posts?

On occasion I’ll get someone email me and ask how to get more eyes on their posts. The common belief is that if more people see my posts, then they will view and more views will create more buzz and buzz will get me followers. I disagree completely and here’s why…

The concept of mass exposure is an old idea. In the old days companies had limited avenues through which to deliver their message-newspaper, radio, television, etc. The marketing concept was to throw a giant blanket over a gigantic population base and see what results might come. The other change in message delivery relates to the expectation of the recipients. Today’s consumer is much more educated and more inundated with content. The online world is flooded with too many messages from so many sources to the point that people have become somewhat blind to any messages at all.

Today’s marketing is different and bloggers must think differently. In today’s market the focus is on relevancy and until you understand this key you will continue to struggle. If a message is not relevant to the population, then people simply will not care. If people don’t care, then they will not buy your message; they will not consume your product. And it is this fact that most bloggers miss.

The truth is you don’t need the masses of asses. You need specific followers who care about the types of topics of which you write. If you write about being a vegetarian, then your ideal reader is going to be someone who is already a vegetarian or someone who is considering becoming a vegetarian. Carnivores who are dead-set in their ways might read a single article, but they are probably not going to return each day to read your content. So maybe a more strategic and effective plan will be to find other vegetarians.

This might seem like common sense, but I see this common failure in thinking everyday in business. Business owners who want more customers think they need everyone and this is false. They need the right “ones” as I like to say. You need loyalty not one-time purchases. You want people who return time after time to consume what it is that you are selling.

And it is the same with a blog. Ask yourself, “Who is the person who is more apt to return each day to read what it is that I write?”. Once you find that person then you need to find more of those types and build a loyal tribe. If you produce quality content and put it in front of the right types of people, then you will have the highest likelihood of converting them into following you. If they are not, then you have to judge your content.

Remember, people engage because they believe the same things you believe.

Some have also asked me about my tribe. My tribe is made up of bloggers who are looking to connect with others so I created a “hub” where people on WordPress could meet others and possibly connect in order to grow their page. It is a mutually symbiotic relationship. A sub-set of my tribe is made up of people who are interested in growing personally and professionally which is why I post about my personal experiences of reaching my goals. I seek out people interested in personal growth. I have followers I’ve met via other personal development blogs. I have followers who found me through personal growth pages on Facebook. And I have followers who discovered my page via my SEO tactics on search engines.

The change in ideology needed is understanding your ideal audience which means you must get specific, not general. Why would you spend your time advertising home owner’s insurance to people who do not own homes versus advertising to people who currently own a home? The easier and more likely conversion is to current home owners. Does anything I’m saying make sense?

A wrestling blog will be comprised mainly of people who enjoy wrestling. A knitting blog will be comprised of people who are interested in knitting. A cooking blog will be comprised mainly of people who enjoy cooking and recipes.

You can spend all of your energy trying to get people who don’t care to care. And the risk is that those people might never care and you will be left with an empty energy tank. Why not find people who are already interested in what it is that interests you and then connect?

I just write what is on my mind and to me it really doesnt matter if people care or not care. If people like what I write then that is a bonus . If people don’t like what I write and tell me I will learn from that.

Well said about blogging. To tell the truth I noticed some bloggers liking 10 posts of mine in just 3 seconds,which I can easily realise by the notification sounds from my cellphone ( 10 sounds in 1 second How can

I’m not sure what happened to my previous comment. Just wanted to let you know I LOVED the line about not needing masses of asses.

I *know* that my target audience marches to their own drum, is a bit rebellious and weird, and yet care fiercely about self-development.

I heard a Seth Godin podcast that talked about not needing hype or blockbuster numbers, but rather that the blogger needed to focus on good content and connecting with like minds. Through authenticity and connection, one can build an audience that will support them. It’s neither easy nor fast, but it’s the long game. You’re far more likely to connect with those whom you can support and will support you in return.

It has pretty much shaped my entire philosophy.

Anyway, just wanted to say I really liked this post, and I’m glad I found your blog.